The PhD is a globally recognised postgraduate research degree and the highest level of degree you can achieve. PhD students are critical, curious, creative thinkers who undertake original research over at least 3 years.

This course is also offered at overseas locations.

History

History gives you an insight into the forces that have shaped our world and ourselves. You can study different cultures, regions, themes and time periods to gain an appreciation of the lives and experiences of people in the past. You can also understand how societies have changed over time.

Study opportunities include New Zealand history, Maori and indigenous histories, pre-modern and modern Europe, American history and the histories of Asia, Australia and the Pacific.

We welcome PhD research proposals in areas such as:

• Maori history
• Twentieth-century New Zealand cultural history
• Empire and travel writing; settler cultures in New Zealand, Canada and Australia
• Australian history, including colonial and rural histories
• Social and cultural history of religion in late antiquity and the early middle ages
• The Anglo-Norman period (11th and 12th centuries)
• The early modern history of ideas, including political thought and science; seventeenth century Britain
• The history of sexuality and of gender
• The history of medicine, in New Zealand, Britain and Japan
• The history of war, peace and internationalism in the modern period
• Tokugawa Japan; life courses of men and women
• Social and cultural history of modern China
• Twentieth century United States history, popular culture, social movements, women’s history, labour history
• Irish history, especially the history of migration
• Environmental, maritime and oceanic history
• Transnational and comparative histories

Programme structure

The University of Auckland PhD is a three-to-four year full-time advanced research degree.

On possible to the PhD programme, you will be enrolled provisionally. By the end of your first year, you must meet a number of goals to be confirmed into the PhD programme, including developing a full thesis proposal. After confirmation, you will continue to work on your research before submitting your thesis for examination after three years and within four years of your start date. The examination process includes an oral exam.

As part of your PhD study, you can take part in our doctoral skills programme, designed to help you achieve success in your research and develop skills for your future. We have a dedicated postgraduate careers advisor, and our library service includes specialist subject librarians to help you in your research. The central School of Graduate Studies provides dedicated support and advice for the doctoral community.

Where could this programme take you?

Our PhD graduates are successful in a wide range of fields and careers, as well as the traditional academic research career path. The PhD gives you extensive specialist and transferable skills, which are sought after in many sectors, including industry and government, and can even help you to develop entrepreneurship skills to run your own startup.